


Everlong

by Talathia



Category: Wild ARMs, Wild ARMs Altercode: F
Genre: 1000 years before the game starts, F/M, Gen, Other, alhazad - Freeform, kind of romance, lucied, talks of vivisection, the fic is named after a foo fighters song by the same name, wild arms - Freeform, wild arms acf - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-12-24
Updated: 2018-12-24
Packaged: 2019-09-26 09:37:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,672
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17139395
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Talathia/pseuds/Talathia
Summary: 1000 years before the events of first game; it's the first demon war. One of the bloodiest battles yet. There's a young captive demon on the human's side, a mere scientist and strategist who originally had no place in the battlefield. With a strong desire to be set free from his human tormentors. If only something could break him free.





	1. Chapter 1

Papers were being shuffled around as a tired elderly man sat at his desk. There had been a number of interviews he had gone through that day, for a job they were offering for nearly anyone who would take it. Granted it was leaning more and more towards hiring outsiders. But none of the towns women fit the bill. Most were widowed; and needed to be kept alive to take care of their families. Well, what was left of them. And the job was risky at best. People either died or went mad.

However, there was, what he assumed was a woman, sitting on his porch. He figured she had to be a woman; because every man over the age of 15 had been sent off to fight the war between the aliens. These so called “living metal” demons who traveled across time and space from the planet Hyades. Who wanted to live on Filgaia, too. And the humans and the Elws rightfully saw them as a threat. They lived longer, were stronger, and wiser, and far more advanced then the humans could even remotely imagine, or hope to become, with out reverse engineering their technology.

Or reverse engineering the captives aliens. At least they had that. Which again, brought him to the job at hand. He cleared his throat and waved the strange woman in. She was not from his town, which was good. If she died it was less likely she would be missed, and they needed less and less funerals where people in the town were beginning losing all hope. Even though they had a trump card with the captive demon. It seemed futile. The Elw were working on some kind of secret weapon. But this here, with the demon. If they could just crack the secrets to how these demons worked, their flesh could be worked into armor for the humans, or better yet; figure out something, anything which would penetrate their flesh and cause them pain.. Or cause them to die. But they weren’t there yet. Granted the demon they had captive seemed pretty strong, test after test they had found things which caused them pain— suffering— but nothing was strong enough to subdue them enough for the long term. 

Not only that, but the little alien they had in their cells at the Cage Tower was loyal. No matter how much suffering they put him through he refused to let out any secrets about the demons weaknesses. Fair enough, they thought. As they continued to see just which human weapons, or chemicals, caused the most pain and which ones seared through his armored skin. 

The old man watched the girl walk in, she wasn’t terribly young, but not middle aged. Her hair was wild and wind blown, hits of what he swore were colors of purple and pink mixed in with greyish blue. 

Weirdo. Probably dyed it that way. With what he did not know.

She sat in a seat across from him, she stared him down as she itched she forehead a bit with untrimmed nails. She looked every bit the dream chaser of nightmares. Even though she’d just be a guard and wouldn’t be on the research team. She could possibly give this young captive demon a run for his gella. ‘All has read’… He said his name was? Perhaps this weirdo could make him talk. Or at least guard his holding cell until the troops returned from battle, and someone with a bit more experience could watch over him. 

Others who were hired to guard him did didn’t last too long.. Either monsters would mysteriously escape from their cages in and slay them, or they’d end up taking their own lives. The demon wouldn’t own up to anything, but there was a rumor he was causing them to have a mental break down; and kill themselves. When questioned this by one of the scientists; he didn’t respond.

“ So, you’re looking into being one of our guards at the Cage Tower.” He spoke. The woman nodded her head. “ I see, well. We won’t be paying you too much. All we can offer you is a place to sleep here in town. Which is one of the few towns with the barrier that protects against the monsters and the demons. I assume that’s what you’re looking for, anyway.” He paged through her file.. It was filled out poorly, like an animal had done it, and he assumed the lady before him couldn’t read or write. 

“ Suits me just fine.”

“ You’re a rather strange one, if I didn’t know any better I would have figured you were a monster yourself.” There was a light chuckle in his comment, the joke went over the girl’s head.

“ Ah, yes. I get that sometimes. But if I weren’t of this planet, or if I was a monster or a demon. I couldn’t get past your barrier. Your barrier that protects us from the metal demons.” She folded her large clawed like hands in her lap. She was dressed in a tattered robe, with torn jeans, and some kind of tight shirt under it- chain-mail that clinked together as she shifted in her seat. The man shrugged off her very matter of fact tonne of voice. 

“ You start tonight, I’ll have someone escort you there. They’ll unlock the door and lock you inside. The demon you’ll be guarding will be there- along with the scientists, they’ll set you up before they leave tonight. They can show you the room in which you’ll be spending sundown to sunup in, until this mess is all over with.” He nodded towards a man who had been staying in the room with them, one of the few men who were left behind in town to help. 

“ What’s her name anyway.” He whispered to the elderly man as she made her way back to the porch- to gather her belongings.

“ Does it matter, Jake? That demon will probably cause her to claw her eyes out with in a week. Just be happy we have some canon fodder for that fucking hellspawn for now.” The older man snorted back with a huff of a laugh.

Jake grimaced at the older mans response and walked out the door to great their new hired guard. Before long the two were on their way to exist town.

 

Jake grinned a welcoming smile. She gave a apathetic stare in return. The two walked side by side through the barrier and out of town; heading east towards the Cage Tower. It was late afternoon.

“ So miss, what’s your name?”

“ I will not sleep with you.” She challenged back, her eyes focused on the horizon, watching the tower off in the distance.

“ That’s not… remotely what I’m asking. ‘Mam. I just want to know you’re name.”

She chewed on her lip a bit thinking of a name. Dream chasers always make up nick names? Right? Silly drifters never use their real names. “ Shanasa.”

“ I’m sorry?”

“ Or Sam. If you need to be boring, and you are boring.” She snarled, stars above this was going to be annoying. How much longer did they have to walk, and why did she need an escort? 

“ Well Sam, I’ll leave you too your thoughts. But it’s an hour’s hike to the Tower, and you’ll be there alone for the rest of the night. Figured you want some company, before you’re alone all night is all. I’ll also be picking you up in the morning— I’ll be showing you were you’re staying. We’ll be spending a lot of time together and--”

“ I look forward to being alone with the demon,” she cut him off. “ And I doubt he’ll be as boring, or won’t talk nonsense to me just to get inside me.” She said so matter of faculty in a very haunted tone. Rude, almost, in a way. Jake finally took a hint and kept quiet the rest of their walk towards the tower. With in an hour’s time, they finally arrived at the door.

“ So this is it,” he fiddled with some keys and unlocked the door. Not before using some metal plate laced with magic to get further inside. “ It’s things like this that keep other demons from breaking in.” 

She raised an eyebrow “ But the others are attacked by monsters? You can keep the aliens out but not the monsters. Pitiful.”

Jake paused in his tracks. “ How do you know about that?”

“ Dream Chasers talk.” She retorted and grinned, Jake grimaced and she wasn’t questioned any further on the matter. 

“ The monsters are already inside, “ a scientist walked up to them in a corridor, ready to greet Jake and introduce herself to Sam. “ In their cages, now which are placed in other rooms. We’ve been moving them all day. The demon who called Itself ‘All Has Read’— the one you’ll be watching—- some how causes the humans to let them out, while they’re not sedated, so they can eat the guards, and It can watch. It seems to delight in their suffering.. Anyway, I’m sorry. Let me introduce myself. My name is Emily Hetfield ” she offered her hand to the feral looking woman, who only glared at it like a dog about to bite, before the woman quickly pulled it back, and shoved it back into her lab coat. 

“ So he has intelligence.” Sam stated as she quickly followed the small party down the hallway and up flights of stairs.

“ What’s your name anyway, miss?

“ Shanasa. Or Sam. But as I was saying, he seems to have intelligence and sapience.” 

“ He? Oh, the demon, well if you want to call it that. You’re humanizing something that doesn’t even look human. There are demons that look human. But this one doesn’t.”

“ That doesn’t mean anything, Anyway why doesn’t he just have them unlock his holding cell?” Sam asked.

“ Because It’s holding cell is sealed with magic, by the Elw and the Guardians. No human can open it, not even me. Only a Elw or Guardian.” Dr Hetfield commented. In the better light Sam was able to see this scientist wore glasses, and had darkish green hair. The rest of Hetfield’s team was gathering their notes for the day or whatever it was that they had done to the demon. She assumed, and watched them as they shoved notes and papers into bags to carry back to town. 

Sam walked into the room and glanced around, same door in and same door out. The room was mostly brown and grey, and dimly lit. The were no windows. Which made Sam sad in a way, the poor souls locked away in this building had no way of telling what time of day it was. Metal flooring and walls, everything was hard steel. It looked more like a torture chamber then an actual lab. 

In the far left corner there was a massive holding cell for the demon. He looked someone like a old early Filgaiain invertebrate she’d see in a museums. Almost nonthreatening in a way. Around him were wires and plugs and various things, painful looking things connected to him. A rod went through one of his shoulders and had him pinned in place. Sparks of electric- from inside his own flesh- sparked and cracked a deep purple. Things of nightmares lay around the cell as well, things that shouldn’t be used on any kind of living being. Not even demons that were “invading” their planet. Some were stained in dark liquid, which might have been his blood. She growled lowly when she noticed Jake throw a brick at him through the bars. 

“ We’ve removed all the other monsters from this area, and, hopefully, you won’t be fall the same fate as the last guards we hired.” Hetfield brought Sam back to her attention. 

“ Hmm, were they women, too?” Sam asked.

“ Most were. Why are you asking?”

“ It’s good to know he doesn’t hold back. I can’t stand sexist men. I am his equal. I want to be treated no differently then the men who have guarded him at night.” She folded her arms and leaned against the far north wall. “ So this is it? I’m locked inside with him until sun up?” She nodded toward the demon’s cell. Sam also noted people were made uncomfortable when she called herself his equal. And that she kept assigning him a gender, it wasn’t that she thought he was male sexually. Not that it mattered, she had known many people who were non-binary through out her lifetimes. But the way they said “it” when talking about him seemed condescending. Basically it was the fact that“It” used in the language of this town sounded so… soulless. They lacked the term for a neutral gender term. Even the demon seemed to turn in her direction and glance at her as she spoke about him like he was a living thing with feelings. The gender role she assigned to him came off as a strange form of compassion, and defense. Which was rare for him, even among his own kind, being as disfigured as he was. His red eyes glowed in the now dimly lit room as his eyes locked with hers. Acknowledging the fact she was talking about him in a mildly defensive tone.

“ We’re not even sure It’s actually male. Hard to figure out how demon genders or reproduction actually works…” Hetfield kind of scoffed with Sam’s comments continuing humanize the demon. “ But yes, you’ll be locked in here all night. We have beans, rice, water, and other foods which won’t rot up here... But, that’s the jest of it. We have to lock you in here. I know it doesn’t make sense because we have all these extra measures to keep him inside and need a guard as well. But he might be able to summon help late in the night, and we need someone here to make sure that doesn’t happen.. And we don’t want anyone trying to manipulate you into letting monsters free, or loose, or anyone that can help him escape so we lock you inside just in case.” Hetfield continued.

“ What do I do if someone tries to do such a thing, like a demon. Or guardian? I surely can’t stop one of those if I’m a weak human being.”

“ There’s an alarm, you would need to hit that.” Hetfield pointed to the far east wall. There was something like a button wired to the ground that followed through the floor. It was behind a glass container which read ‘Break in Emergency’, in the words of the Elw, and various forms of the languages spoken on Filgaia. “ That will sound an alarm in town, alert everyone in town somethings happening here in the tower and that he’s escaped, or that the demons got inside...I pray no demon attempts to break him free. I also pray to the Guardian Lords we never have to use it.” Hetfield took her glasses off and rubbed her eyes. “ I can’t imagine why a Guardian would try and help the demon race, but have mercy on us if one of a Guardians does, we’ll be doomed the day that that happens.” She bit her lip and adjusted her glasses back on her face. “ I’m sorry, I just got chills. You made made a very good point. Not many people who take this job are inclined enough to ask so many questions as you have this afternoon. “

“ I see, but with weaker monsters- you’ve done such a wonderful task and keeping the old guards from letting monsters out.”

“ That’s why we’re locking you inside here with him. I mean, he might make you hurt yourself with the tools we have in the room— But no there’s no way for you to access the other monsters, and they’ve all been removed from this room.”

“ Then why doesn’t he just… I don’t know… possess one of you and then murder you all?”

(( Because I have other plans for them. And I need a guardian to get me out of this prison, no point in murdering everyone with out a way out. Besides, death by possessed comrade is too good for them.)) Sam felt a voice echo in her mind. (( You’re different then the others. Perhaps we should talk when these maggots leave.))

“ I don’t think he’s smart enough for that, and we have precautions.” Hetfield sounded a bit unsure. All of this sounded heavily flawed and Sam wondered how the hell they had gotten this far with out any screw ups. It was a miracle he hadn’t escaped yet. 

Jake was noticeably uncomfortable and interjected; “ I need to start taking the ladies back to the town, sorry, Sam. You guys can chat at dawn. I don’t want to have us caught out in the open after dark.” He spoke as he rushed the others out the door. Sam gave him a smug grin, almost about to spit out some kind of insult or call his bluff. “ I’ll see you tomorrow.” He said quickly before locking the door from the other side, it all happened in a flash Sam couldn’t help but snort with laughter from her position against the wall.


	2. Chapter 2

The door clacked shut behind them and she waited for the drowning of their voices to fade away— then scrambled towards the cage climbing like a wild animal over the monitors and tables. She pressed her head on the bars and looked at him. Her clawed hands gripping the bars. She wanted to slide through them and do something. His burning fire was driving her wild. He slowly turned his head to look at her, bewildered why a human would be behaving this way.

The demon had seen this behavior in animals in heat, or animals needing water or food. Part of him was worried because this strange human looked like she wanted all three. He was neither edible to her or equipped to mate with her.

“ My my my, aren’t we excited. I’ve never had a visitor like you before. It’s going to be a shame to kill you—-” His eyes narrowed as he peered up at her.

“ You brought me here.” She exhaled husky and heavy and apparently hungry.

“ Hmm?” he tilted his head. “ Who are you.” 

“ You already know my name, Alhazred. You’re fire. I need it. I’m going to get you out.” She wasn’t speaking in the same voice that she had been using around his captors. It was throaty and beast like, like some kind of werewolf trying to be human. And before he knew it he saw a subtle change as her finger nails, they looked more and more like claws. She nimbly slid through the bars and before he could react she was on top of him investigating the wires which were connected to him. 

“ It is Alhazad according to the laws of this time space. You shouldn’t be able to say my true name.. And why, what are you, what are you doing--” he tried to move but the rod held him in place. She tried to yank the rod out while scrambling on top of him and placing her clawed feet on the steel floor below them. “ DON’T.” He snarled and her claws let go of the rod, as if she had taking note straight away that was the thing which was holding him down. She looked at him, confused needing instruction on how to release him. “ You need to start talking and explain to me just what the hell you are doing here. Like this.” He commended. 

“ I’m here to release you.”

“ You are neither guardian or elw. How do you intend to release me.” He seemed pessimistic and somewhat annoyed this stranger was climbing all over him like a dog. The beast woman smiled at the demon and barked, barked loud, at the bars around them, and the cell door opened effortlessly. “ … or you are. And cleverly disguised.” 

“ I fooled the humans.” She said, if she had a tail in this form, it would be wagging. She seemed proud of herself. “ I’m here to break you free, to rescue you from these chains the humans of this world have placed on you. Your desire for freedom is stronger than their’s to win this war. They are weak.” 

“ Yes you did. But, why do such a risky thing? We’re mortal enemies you and I. My race is trying to eradicate your brethren from the face of the planet so we can call it our own. Why are you helping me?” He flinched as he felt what felt like bites and nips all over his flesh to remove the hookups and wires. She was moving fast, releasing him from some discomfort.. and he wasn’t going to argue. Unsure of what was about to happen next.

“ Not me. As long as desire exists. I can not die. Your desire is the strongest.” She paused to make eye contact with him. “ They hurt you, with those.” She attention went back to the source of his pain, as she snapped the last wire off with her teeth. “ Didn’t they?”

Alhazad chose not to answer. “ The rod.” He glanced at his shoulder, “ This needs to come out, or I can’t move from this spot. When you do remove it- I’m going have no choice but to scream. It’s laced with magic, and very painful…. But you being a guardian lord, if you are who you say you are… you can remove it.”

He saw what looked like a giant wolf head chomp down on the rod, and it shattered into small pieces around them and vanished into thin air. Her form went back down to a beastile woman, who was now attempting to pick him up. Which given if she were a normal human- would not and could not happen.

Alhazad attempted to levitate with the added support, part of him leaning on the strange guardian in disguise, and with her support he was able to get right side up and the two walked together out of the cell. 

The first step to freedom. 

The demon just needed to regain his strength before traveling back to any command point for the demons. Let alone Hyades. Where ever his Mother was, he did not know. And it would take longer than the few hours before sun up him to regain his strength to travel anywhere, and he felt shammed by being taken prisoner.. 

He was at the mercy of one of the supposed sworn enemies of the metal demon race. But perhaps the Guardian of Desire Luceid had switched sides, if his desire was the strongest, maybe there was some hope. That the demons would have a place to live once and for all. And Luceid was a guardian of a morally grey emotion. Desire was not good nor evil. And the demons didn’t see themselves as ‘evil’. Like any species in the universe; they too needed a place to live. Since his race was older and admittedly more emotional because of this; they stood a chance.. They now had a living god on their side.. 

The next question was; how would they get out of there. They were high off the ground, many stories up, even if Luceid knocked a wall out, it was a long drop. A drop Alhazad did not wish to make, and he was too weak to teleport. The door was locked, they could get out that way. He was sure of that, and venture down the stairs and out the door. But he was sure the doors into the tower were sealed too. This Tower was known to be locked tight with magic. But having Luceid to escort him out; he stood a fair chance. 

She brushed her head into his, it made him a bit nervous with her actions. She was aggressive and warm, different, and possessive, and needed something from him. “ Can you break the door open?” with the rod released he had some use of his powers, he could use his weaker attacks. She could have kicked it open, but she also wanted to fitful his self reliance. Baby steps. He was no longer a prisoner. She needed him to believe in himself if she were going to feed off his inner fire. 

“ Absolutely…” his eyes glowed red, and lasers flashed out from them at the door, it melted through the lock and it lazily swung open. “ Lets go. Luceid.” He mused, called her by her name, and she beamed with delight. The wolf woman helped support him as they wandered through the halls and down the stairs. Eventually they came to the sealed door to the entrance of the tower. 

Luceid put out a hand paw, she was slowly shifting looking more and more like a wolf as the night progressed. She saw no need to hide her true self now. And pressed on to the door. It glow a cool bright blue, and the door opened for the Guardian Lord and her demon. The moon was high in the sky and lit up their bodies as they walked outside... the stars as a backdrop. She shifted into a more wolf life self and was about to pad off with Alhazad hanging onto her back. He let off a low pur as the cool night air hit his metal flesh, it felt nice to be under the sky once again, and not that stuff, bleak, dim room.

“ Do you want to go back to the town and eat them?”

“ No, I want to give these disgusting humans something to remember me by.” He sent a dark electric attack at a power source connected to the tower, something the Elws had set up to keep the other small monsters in cages. The entire power supply to the tower was shut off, and one by one the monsters escaped through the now open door. “ When the humans arrive at dawn. Looking at the strange pair that had released them. “ Attention, monsters of this world. Have the humans know Alhazad has escaped, and will be returning someday and give them the same hospitality and treatment they gave me. Do not kill the scientists. Nor the people of the village; I have other plans for them. Their lives belong to me me.” The monsters skittered and stirred as they clicked back and forth at one another, then to Alhazad. And eventually, ran off into the unknown.

Luceid then began padding off towards the forest off in the distance. There she would tend to his wounds and heal him, at least to the best of her ability, with her guardian powers. By her own will and his claws he stayed on her back, his legs wrapped around her sides and holding on and relaxing himself for the first time in years.

Finally he wouldn’t be at the mercy of the humans experiments, no more pain, no more suffering. Nights of sleeping with out being shocked awake.. He wasn’t going to allow himself to think and anguish over the terrible things that had happened to him at the Cage Tower. And the oddity of it all was that he was rescued by one of the forces that were supposed to also be at war with him. 

“ Sleep, my love.” She cooed at him tenderly, “ We will travel until sun rise. I will carry you until you no longer need to be carried.”

His head already buried in her hackles, his arms wrapped around her thick neck and his legs wrapped around her underbelly, he was locked in place. And tired, so tired.. He slowly nodded off into a deep slumber, he hated himself for it, he wasn’t the type of demon to become undone so easily. But it was nice to feel comforted. By someone, someone and some source he least expected it to ever come from. He slept soundly as Luceid ran across the wasteland to the forest to the north.


End file.
